Here are so key guidelines to help you survive freshman year. Now the school I go to isn’t awfully big, but I learned a thing or two my freshman year nonetheless.
Now the first thing I did when I came to school was go through Rush Week. It’s the week before school starts and you go through the process of joining a sorority. Each campus has it at a different time of the semester but If you are the only one from your school going to a college, maybe try going Greek. You might find some cool new friends or gain an experience. Greek life is not for everyone but it helped me a lot. The older sisters had all the answers as well as love hanging out with you. It’s a lot of work to be in a sorority to be honest. And no, you aren’t paying for friends, I promise. If you’re looking for an easy freshman year by all means don’t go Greek. Yes, it’s a lot of work on top of all the other stuff but also very worth it.
Figure out the bus schedule. If your campus has a bus system, find out how to keep track of it. Sometimes there’s’ an app, other times you’ll have to print out a sheet and pray you make it to the bus on time. If you’re lucky enough to find that there’s an app or a simple link to track the bus by all means save it. I spent my first semester not understanding the night shuttle’s system and would walk a mile back to my dorm at night. In winter that is not fun. If you have a free day or even an hour of free time ride the bus. You can time it to see how long it takes between stops and how long it takes to do a full ride back to the first stop. Of course it’s not going to be perfect but it’ll give you a better sense of where the bus will be and how much time you have to get to the bus stop.
Get a rewards card at a gas station. I know it may seem ridiculous but seriously get one. Find the cheapest place in town that has gas, even if it’s a little outside of town. The points build up and you can pay less for gas after so many points or even build credit at the gas station. Either way it’s not bad to have.
Befriend your roommate. I was lucky and got a super chill roommate my first semester. Not everyone is so lucky. But once you befriend your roommate it’s a lot easier to get away with stuff like not picking up after yourself or coming in late at night. Your roommate could make or break the year. If they’re always uptight or a total Debbie Downer and maybe you’ll be the one person that can cheer them up. In the end your roommate will totally have your back once your friends.
The Dorms. Your Resident Assistant (RA) is a very helpful person. They are usually an upper classman whose job is to make sure you’re safe, kinda. If you stay in the dorms then your RA will usually have a board or two that has fliers and key information about campus on it. READ IT. Don’t just pass by it. Actually read it, you might find a cool new place to eat or it has upcoming events around campus, which are usually free. Your RA is sometimes required to hold events, which can range from fun to educational. The point is, attend them. Your RA is there to help and make your year easier.
Campus Dining. If there are places to eat on campus find out what they are, where they are, and what times they’re open. If you are required to have a mean plan it may include some money set aside for fast food places on campus or even for campus markets. Learn about your Meal plan and campus dining. That way you won’t waste time going to the dining hall for sloppy leftovers when you could have saved time and gone to the chick-fil-a next dorm and not been disappointed.
Of course these are extremely basic guidelines. But not a lot of people will tell you or show you how these things on your campus work and I know from personal experience that they suck. Use these to help you with the little things. You might make the year easier on yourself.
